A New Way of Understanding Conflict

Located within the Institute for Leading Change (ILC) and supported by Kel and Barbara Feind, the Feind Institute’s mission is to be a leader in advancing knowledge of Ken Wilber’s development of integral theory to the conflict field, with a focus on developing the next generation of integrally informed practitioners and scholars who are responsive to the real, and often unacknowledged, needs of those in conflict.

The front page of any newspaper on any given day is a sobering commentary on our work in conflict. Current strategies for intervention appear to have little effect. A new way of understanding conflict is needed if we are to develop more effective strategies for dealing with conflict. An integral perspective is needed.

A common definition of integral is essential to completeness, lacking nothing essential.” Although the evolution of the conflict field has been fertile, enriched by a wide range of inter-disciplinary theory development, it is fragmented and lacking a cohesive identity. An integral perspective attends to all the dimensions of human experience and behavior, staying focused on the multi-dimensionality of the context of conflict while it integrates and weaves the fragments together, illuminating their mutual influences on and interactions with each other.

With a transdisciplinary foundation and a focus on collaboration and open inquiry, the Feind Institute will build a bridge between the field of integral conflict analysis and engagement and the issues faced by people in an increasingly complex world.

To learn more about the Feind Institute contact:
Rob McLaughlin
ISCL Enrollment Manager
rmclaughlin@antioch.edu
937-769-1816